WASHINGTON, D.C. - The United States government announced on Wednesday that it is planning to provide more support to the Iraqi Kurdish Peshmerga who are widely regarded as the most effective fighting force against the Islamic State (ISIS).
“The president has pledged to expand our support to the Iraqi forces including the Iraqi Kurdish forces,” said Jeffery Rathke, a spokesperson with for the US State Department in response to a question from a Rudaw reporter at the daily briefing.
“We are continuing to coordinate with the international community to provide the Iraqi government and Kurdish forces with what is needed and our policy in that respect has not changed. As I say, we have provided a large amount of support, weapons material to Kurdish forces.”
Mr. Rathke added the allocation of the military equipment to the Iraqi Kurds has so far happened in coordination with Iraq’s central government in Baghdad, and that is likely to continue to be the case.
Erbil, the Kurdish capital, had long complained that Baghdad did not deliver weapons to the Kurdish Peshmerga forces until the Kurds came under a powerful attack from ISIS, which captured several towns and villages earlier in August. Then the United States stepped in with airstrikes and pressing Baghdad to provide the Kurds with some weapons to defend themselves.
Mr. Rathke’s emphasis that President Obama has pledged more support not just for Iraqi forces but also Kurdish forces indicates that the US wants to make sure the Kurds receive a share of the outside support the international community will provide to Iraq as it battles extremism.
At the moment, a delegation of high-ranking Kurdish officials is in Washington to press for heavier weapons for the Peshmerga forces who have made slow advances against ISIS, capturing a few strategic towns.
Fuad Hussein, chief of staff for Kurdistan Region President Massoud Barzani is leading the delegation.
“The US and some other countries support us from the sky, but we are alone on the ground. This is going to be a long term war that that we won’t be able to sustain. This war needs different types of weapons” than what the Kurds possess, said Hussein in an interview with Rudaw in the US capital.
Mr. Hussein made it more specific what kinds of weapons they are seeking: “Apache helicopters and tanks.”
He criticized the US for being reluctant to support the Kurds “because of Baghdad.” He said he had hopes the new Republican-dominated congress will help change this policy next year.
“It’s clear that the Republicans had a different policy and will have a different policy towards Iraq… The Republicans have a longer relationship with Iraq. President [George W.] Bush liberated Iraq from Saddam Hussein. I believe they are following Iraq more closely,” added Hussein.
.jpeg&w=3840&q=75)
